


Treasure of the Deep

by Nightfoot



Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Character Death, F/F, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mention of torture, Piracy, Psychological Torture, Translation, abusive relationship not between main couples, prisoner
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-30 04:16:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10153475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightfoot/pseuds/Nightfoot
Summary: Fantasy AU. In a world of humans and mermaids, Yuri and Flynn are drawn into a cruel pirate's search for a mysterious treasure.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Trésor Marin](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9530210) by [Miry0chan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miry0chan/pseuds/Miry0chan). 



> This fic is a translation of Trésor Marin by Miry0chan. I don't actually speak French, but she told me it would have Flynn suffering so I felt compelled to translate it. I used Google Translate and then reworded the results of that to sound better, with advice from her to make sure it's accurate. So this might not sound like one of my normal fics because it's mostly a direct translation, so all credit should go to Miry0chan!

 

According to legends, the magical world of Terca Lumireis has been ruled since the dawn of time by two powerful civilizations: the humas, dominating a large continent, and the merines, dominating the oceans.

For centuries, the two civilizations lived in perfect harmony, so much so that there were even, occasional unions between humas and merines, giving birth to exceptional beings: the Interpreters.  They and their descendants were perceived as exceptional beings and revered as gods because they were naturally able to understand and transcribe the language of both cultures. They allowed people to understand one another, encouraging exchange, and intervened to settle minor conflicts when necessary.

More important or diplomatic conflicts were left to the sovereigns of the two empires, who mastered every dialect perfectly.  To help maintain their ties, the children of these leaders spent much time in each others' courts so they knew each other well and were able to negotiate on their own.

For centuries, harmony and prosperity reigned over this world, which seemed blessed by the gods.  Unfortunately, there came a day when this bond that had transcended generations turned to chaos.  At that time, King Astor of Huma had just defeated a clan of dwarves who had long harassed the small villages on the edge of his kingdom. From this campaign, he brought back an immense booty consisting of gold, precious stones, forged weapons, but also magic artefacts of exceptional quality and of inestimable value. With that, he hoped to ensure the prosperity and stability of his kingdoms for decades to come.  He didn’t, however, count on the greed of his own sons.

He had known for a long time that his two boys were only waiting for his death to seize power.  Though aware of it, he chose to close his eyes to the danger out of love for his children.  After his campaign against the dwarves, their impatience grew and assassination attempts, though sometimes clumsy, multiplied.

One night, after escaping a particularly elaborate attempt, he summoned his friend, the King of the Oceans, and spoke to him in these terms:

"My friend, I sent for you today to implore your help. I hoped to make my people happy but this gold only corrupted my boys and put my power in jeopardy. I have to get rid of this treasure and for that I decided to entrust it to an honourable person. I have chosen you. Once this treasure has disappeared, maybe my sons will recover their reason."

The monarch of the seas accepted the request by virtue of their long friendship, and swore to see that no one - neither huma nor merines - could gain access to these riches. Then he disappeared into the night, taking the fabulous treasure with him.

Two days later, Astor was found in his room, murdered.

As the culprit left no evidence, his sons were never suspected, and the elder succeeded him immediately. The younger, on the other hand, discreetly went in search of the treasure.  He pored over the palace from floor to floor, before extending his search to the entire capital.  Despite all his efforts, he found nothing. Not even the smallest gold nugget.

He was going to mount an expedition to travel the whole continent when luck finally seemed to smile at him.  At the conclusion of an interview with his brother, during which he had presented him with the results of his inquiries, he happened to pass by the merines Prince, who had come on a diplomatic visit. Growing up together, the young people chatted for a moment until the prince let out an intriguing detail: two days before Astor's death, his own father had erected a barrier in a remote corner of the ocean and had prohibited anyone from approaching the area.

The coincidence was too obvious for the prince not to make the connection and he tried to press his companion to learn more. Unfortunately, the young merman seemed totally ignorant and, in frustration, the prince shoved him against a column. The force snapped his neck and the prince collapsed to the ground, dead.

This sad event marked the end of several centuries of exchange.  Overwhelmed by sorrow, the King of the Ocean ordered his subjects not to approach the coasts. At first the order was scarcely followed, for certain friendships were too strong to be broken overnight, but little by little, over the years, the merines moved away from the humas and the surface. First out of fear of the king and sanctions incurred, then out of fear of the humas themselves.  

Without really knowing why or how, a rumor revealing the existence of a treasure in the seabed had spread like a whirlwind, spreading seeds of desire across the populace.  This desire was strengthened by a royal decree condemning anyone who went looking for the treasure, which only served to confirm its existence.  

Many pirate ships took to sea to find this gold, capturing and mistreating merines and Interpreters to help them.  But no one save the lord of the seas and his heir knew the location of the gold.  After a century and a half, not even the lords of humas could get their hands on it. Pirates weren’t willing to give up the promise of such a huge treasure, and continued to flourish throughout the seas, establishing an era of terror.  

* * *

In 150 years of looting and carnage, the pirates had taken control of the surface of the oceans and inspired terror throughout the coastal cities. But, despite their harsh image, the world of piracy was hierarchical and codified. The most powerful pirates, who could evoke shudders with only the sound of their names, were feared and respected by their peers.  Less notorious pirates generally preferred to flee or lend allegiance to them in order to survive.

Some of them thus succeeded in forming a real navy, so that they no longer even went to sea themselves and lived peacefully, waiting for their vassals to bring wealthy back to them.  In 20 years, Captain Alexei Dinoia had thus constituted the most imposing fleet and rumour said that he was on the verge of discovering the legendary treasure.  However, Alexei was one of those pirates who only went to sea when it was necessary. He had taken up residence on a small island off the huma continent, and had built a sumptuous mansion atop a ridge. He lived there in peace and opulence in the company of his oldest accomplices, patiently awaiting the day when the mermaid capable of guiding him to his goal would be captured.


End file.
